By Stacey Moore, Founder and Blogger, All Because Two People Fell in LOVE
I cannot believe how fast this summer has flown by. With school starting on August 11th (August 5th for us teachers), we have already started to get ready for back to school. We are excited each year to begin preparing for a new school year as getting ready for school is a little different at our house. Yes, we have a Kindergarten Princess and a 5th grade Superstar to prepare but as teachers, my husband and I have classrooms to prepare as well. We have shopped and purchased all the necessary supplies, clothes, and teaching resources to prepare us for the first day of school.
Oh, if preparing for back to school was as easy as running out and picking up items from a supply list. Making the transition from the lazy days of summer to the school year is not an easy change for our family. One of biggest challenges is getting back into the school time routine! Since my husband and I are both teachers, we have the summer to do whatever we want with our kids!! No schedules and no bedtimes are great until that alarm goes off at 7:00 AM for the first time in over two months. We start about a week before school begins easing the kids back into our school day schedules. We take this opportunity to have them practice their school routines which will in turn hopefully make our morning run a little smoother.
We are trying to get away from the pure chaos that morning usually brings to our house by planning. In an effort to eliminate the “Clothing Wars” we make the weekly clothing selections on Sunday. Clothing – down to clean socks, underwear, shoes, and even matching hair accessories – is decided upon and laid out on Sunday. My little ones help in choosing the outfit so no changes are allowed after their decisions have been made.
It’s usually considered a good day when all four of us are dressed, fed, and out the door on time. Searching for a homework sheet or reading book is not something that we usually have time for. To reduce this morning stress, we put their backpacks in the car the night before. We also prepare lunches just before bed so that we can easily grab them from the fridge on our way out the door.
As another summer comes to a close, we are crossing our fingers that as a family, we will be able to make a smooth transition back to school!